1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of systems, methods, and electronic devices used to monitor the dispensing of liquids, in particular, beverages dispensed at establishments.
2. Related Art
Establishments, such as bars, nightclubs, hotels, casinos, and restaurants etc., lose a significant amount of revenue due to pilferage at the point of sale, pilferage of bottles from the bar and storage areas and dispensing of drinks to “buddies.” Revenue is also lost due to manual, delayed, and error-prone methods of establishing and keeping data on the number of servings dispensed and quantity of liquid dispensed for each type of beverage metrics such as pouring cost, the cost for each pour of a bottle, pour accuracy, the consistency at which the pour amount matches the paid amount, and inventory values are calculated as infrequently as once a month, or manually on “inventory” day. The task of counting and measuring beverage inventory and calculating pouring costs is time consuming and open to intentional and unintentional errors.
Techniques exist that address some of the described problems for some of the beverages. For instance, multiple serving bottles may be fitted with a control or counting device in the neck of the bottle, or drinks may be dispensed through a gun or other electro/mechanical device. Other techniques include measuring the amount poured prior to serving, or weighing bottles after each serving or at the end of a shift or week. These techniques are typically used in airports and casinos where customer satisfaction takes second place to controls. A disadvantage of these techniques is that each of these techniques require cleaning of the device between uses.
A further disadvantage of existing systems and methods is that these systems have a negative impact on customers and on establishment aesthetics, and are therefore rejected by the vast majority of owners. Thus, most casual and fine dining establishments choose to suffer pilferage and inefficiencies that are endemic to the industry, rather than aggravate their customers with controlled or measured pours and devices, which disturb the ambiance and aesthetics of the point of sale.